Former Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar's announced last week that yes, there did exist a stately Right in Israel, and he would be its representative with his in the Knesset with his New Hope party.
What else did he announce? Good question. Just like all those from the "anyone but Bibi" camp that came before him, Sa'ar has yet to share his secret with us.
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I watched with great interest as Sa'ar and Derech Eretz party leaders Yoav Hendel and Zvi Hauser, all of them remarkably similar, issued their statements on TV. All three men are impressive, articulate, educated, honest, and precise. Yet none of them said anything other than that there was no hope for Israel's citizens beyond the horizon and that Sa'ar was the best alternative to Netanyahu.
It is important to offer a right-wing alternative to Netanyahu, but it's is also important to explain why the alternative is necessary and exactly what kind of alternative is on offer. From their statements, my impression is that these stately figures is of the belief that we are able to read their minds. As a woman, I identify with the need to be understood without explaining myself first, by just saying "Gideon is our man" and leaving it at that. But just like my thesis supervisor used to tell me, you need evidence to support your claim.
Sa'ar has not engaged in any kind of high-profile work for quite some time now, and a breakout absent any significant buildup is a highly risky move. Members of the Likud may know and cherish him - after all, he came in fifth place in the party primaries. Netanyahu, as is his custom, opted to sideline him. But what has he been up to since?
"I've known him from joint political activity even before the military, for 37 years now," Hauser said. "From close personal acquaintance with all of the candidates for the premiership, I can say wholeheartedly that Gideon Sa'ar is the best man for the job."
This kind of endorsement may be kind, but it won't enlist the masses to come out for Sa'ar on Election Day.
The average Israeli turns on their TV and sees Netanyahu bringing vaccines to Israel, sees the peace agreements being signed and the new locales they can visit, and sees that in recent years, Israel has seen an unprecedented drop in the number of its citizens killed in battle or murdered.
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When Sa'ar talks about leadership and says Israelis have lost any sense of hope, it's only the elite in-crowd that knows what he means.
In the meantime, a different Netanyahu alternative has been working hard for about a year now. Sa'ar needs to explain what he's been up to all this time and what, other than the "anyone but Bibi" line, he is selling the public.
When Hendel and Hauser mentioned how they were both members of Netanyahu's coalition Netanyahu, the average Israeli rubbed their eyes in disbelief before changing the channel. This pair, whose party is not expected to pass the electoral threshold according to poll after poll, now holds senior positions in the government. If they have such a problem with the government being led by a man who they say is busy painting Israel's blue skies black, why are they still in it?
They are such good, handsome, talented, and honest men. There's no question the Hanukkah holiday of miracles was the perfect time to launch their campaign.
